Gas-engine.



J. v. 1mm, JR GAS ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1909.

958,975. Patented May 24, mm.

WIN/E8858 fill/5 IV 9 9 M 44 u I W A705) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. RICE, JR., OF BORDENTOWN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO RICE GASENGINE COMPANY, OF BORDENTOWN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GAS-ENGINE.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, JOHN V. RICE, Jr., citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Bordentown, in the county of Burlington and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGas-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pistonsfor gas engmes.

The object is to enable the parts of a compound piston to be soconnected to the in termediate element as that the portions of thepiston which contact with the cylinder may be automatically adjusted,and able to compensate for any loss or wear through friction, and toenable a complete and efiicient contact between the piston and the wallsof the cylinder to be maintained at all times. And the inventiontherefore consists essentially in the construction, arrangement andcombination of parts substantially as will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating my invention, the singlefigure indicates a sectional view of a gas engine cylinder in which myimproved piston is fitted.

The present invention is primarily an improvement upon the gas enginedescribed and claimed in my co-pending application for Letters Patent011 internal combustion engine, filed September 16, 1905, Serial No.278,735, allowed March 29, 1909;but it is obvious that the invention maybe employed successfully with other forms of gas engines than theparticular one contained in the said application.

25 designates a cylinder having at its extreme ends explosion chambers26 and 27 arranged in alinement with each other, and having intermediateof its ends an enlarged compression chamber 28. Good practice andmachine design dictate that the chambers 26, 27 and 28 should beinternally cylindrical, and that the cylindrical chamber 28 should bearranged eccentrically in respect to the chambers 26 and 27, and such aconstruction is therefore chosen for the purposes of illustration, butthe invention is, of course, not intended to be limited to thisparticular embodiment. Arranged for cooperation with the describedcylinder is a piston having its end portions 29 and 30 Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed August 24, 1909.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Serial No. 514,369.

properly fitted to the explosion chambers 26 and 27, and having anenlarged offset intermediate portion 31 properly fitted to the eccentriccompression chamber 28. The piston ends 29 and 30 and the intermediateportion 31 are shown as provided with packing rings andas externallycylindrical, so as to suit them for cooperation with the chambers 26, 27and 28.

32 denotes a piston rod applied to the intermediate portion 31- of thepiston and suitably arranged for proper operation.

The intermediate portion 31 of the piston is provided with upper andlower extensions 33 which may partake of any desired form, beingwing-like or rod-like, and these extensions 33 terminate in balls 34:that loosely connect with recesses 35 in the piston ends 29 and 30. Inthis way, the piston will be seen to be composed essentially of the twoend portions and the central portion. The latter may be connectedloosely by a universal or ball and socket joint with the end portions,as indicated in the specimen of the invention illustrated in thedrawing. This loose connection between the piston ends and the centralortion thereof, to which the piston rod is at xed, enables me to attainmany very desirable results in the operation of a gas engine piston, forwith a loose connection of this kind between the end portions and thecentral portion of the piston, said end portions are enabled toautomatically adjust themselves to the walls of the cylinder 25, so thatthe cylindrical surfaces of said por tions are kept in contactsubstantially throughout their entire lengtlr with the adjoiningcylindrical walls of the bore of the cylinder, and hence wear on anyparticular point is avoided. Were the connections between the endportion and the central portion of the piston hard and rigid and noflexibility were permitted, it might be found that these end portionswould be contacting at only one or two points and thereby leakage mightoccur, and other disadvantageous circumstances exist inimical to thesuccessful operation of the piston and engine; but by the use of theball and socket joint which permits the end portions of the pistons toautomatically adjust their contact with the cylinder walls, it will befound that the operation will be very successful and a tight andefficient joint will be maintained at all times, or that the contact ofthe surfaces of the end portions of the piston will be complete andtight with the adjoining walls of the cylinder. Thus the lateralpressure is equally distributed over the piston walls, and there is notilting action in the piston, the tilting tendency being avoided.

Of course the recesses 35 in the end portions 29 and 30 of the pistonsmay vary in size and form. I find it convenient to employ disks 36 and37, having recessed openings and passages therein which will con form inshape to a part of the spherical surfaces of the balls 3% which can bescrewed into recesses on the inner ends of the piston portions 29 and30, as shown in the drawing, for the purpose of connecting the balls 34to the piston parts 29 and 30. Thus in assembling the parts the balls 34will be caused to enter the recesses 35, and then the disks 36 and 37will be screwed into place.

Many changes may be made in the exact construction and combination ofthe parts without exceeding the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is: V

1. In a gas engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston havingend sections and an intermediate part, said intermediate part beingloosely connected with the end sections, and a piston rod connected toone side of the said intermediate part.

2. The combination in a gas engine with a cylinder, of a piston havingend sections and a central portion loosely connected to said endsections, said end and central parts being cylindrical but the centralpart being eccentric to the others, and a piston rod connected to saideccentric center part.

8. The combination with the cylinder of a gas engine, of a pistonconsisting of separate ends and a central part having balls looselyentering sockets in said ends, and a piston rod connected to one side ofthe said central part.

t. In a gas engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston havingseparate ends, a'central part having balls loosely entering sockets insaid ends, together with a piston rod applied to said central part.

5. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a. cylinderhaving an eccentric compression chamber between its ends, of a piston insaid cylinder having separate ends and a central portion connected byball and socket joints Wltllsaid ends, said central portion beingeccentric and fitted within said compression chamber.

6. The combination in an internal combustion engine, of a cylinderhaving closed ends forming explosion chambers, and having alsointermediate between its ends an eccentric compression chamber, and apiston in the said cylinder having its ends fitted to the said explosionchambers and having also anintermediate eccentric portion fitted to thesaid compression chamber, and balls on said intermediate eccentricportion engaging sockets in the end portions of the piston so that theremay be a loose connection between the center and end of the piston topermit said ends to be automatically adjustable to the walls of thecylinder.

7. In a gas engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a piston havingan intermediate part and end sections looselyconnected thereto, and apiston rod connected at one side of said piston at a point between itsends.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN V. RICE, JR.

Vitnesses: V

FRANK PAUL, C. B. ScHRoEDER.

